Love Is Dangerous
by YoursAlways
Summary: The luckiest in an unfortunate group of people, Kagome finds herself in Ergastulum and mixed up with a couple of very odd handymen. But in a dangerous city of drug-addicted superhumans, corruption, and the mob, who can she trust when things really start to get dicey?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Gangsta. and make no money from these writings.

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Love Is Dangerous

Chapter One

"Damn," Worick breathed as he stepped into the back room of the warehouse. Pushing a hand through his bangs, he looked around at the bodies littering the floor and sighed. It was mostly women. There were a few young men, probably still teenagers, mixed in with the small massacre. His frown deepened when he spotted a few children piled together in a corner.

They'd been too late.

There was a new crime organization trying to move into some of the Ergastulum districts. From what information could be gathered, it was a fairly small operation, but they were trying to get their fingers in a lot of pies. They dabbled in a little bit of everything - drugs, weapons, prostitution, extortion, human trafficking - but it left their small group thinly spread and made it easier to get in over their heads.

Honestly, they weren't exactly anything new to him and Nic. They'd taken care of similar up and coming thugs in the past with little to no trouble. But things had gone to hell this time.

Word had gotten out that they had some new product for their trafficking ring that they were getting ready to sell off and move; women, boys, and small children that would be sold to the highest bidders and kept as either personal property or put in brothels. The goal had been to go to their warehouse, take out the gang, and secure the trafficking victims until the police arrived. At least, that's what would have happened in a perfect world.

In the end, it appeared that the scum had been tipped off that they were coming and decided to cut ties and beat it instead of try to move their merchandise before anyone showed up. And that was how Worick found himself standing in a dimly lit back room full of the unfortunate bodies of people who'd probably just been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some were shot, some were stabbed and slashed, it looked as though they'd tried to kill everyone as quickly as possible before making a run for it. They didn't want any witnesses who could ID them or give information about any of their members or operations.

Quickly dialing a familiar number, Worick listened to a couple of rings before the other end of the line was picked up. "Chad? There was a problem." As he explained the situation and listened to the Inspector swear and yell on the other end of the phone, he watched Nic make a round through the room, but he doubted that his friend would find anything of value. Everyone in the room had been dressed in simple, nondescript clothes, and anything of value they'd had on them at the time of their abduction would have been taken from them a long time ago. "Yeah, you're gonna need to bring some body bags. It's not pretty."

Despite the complaining voice in his ear, Worick's attention zeroed in completely on Nicolas when the shorter man stiffened before moving quickly. Stepping around fallen bodies and moving a couple out of the way, the swordsman knelt to the ground before waving him over.

"Hold on a second, Inspector," Worick spoke into his phone before he made his way over to Nic's side. "What's up?" But when Nicolas pointed down at the body directly in front of them, his eyes widened. A set of bleary blue eyes slowly blinked up at him as pale, blood-stained lips moved wordlessly. The raspy wheeze that came from the gaping slash in the woman's throat was unsettling, even to him.

"Chad?" He said returned to his phone conversation once again. "Bring an ambulance with those body bags, and hurry. One of them's still alive." The fact that they should hurry was implied, but he wasn't sure if or how long the woman would make it even if she was treated right then.

Hanging up from his call, assured that Chad was on his way with backup and an ambulance, Worick tried to think of what to do, but he wasn't a doctor. That was when he heard the ripping of fabric and saw Nic ripping what clean bits of cloth he could from the clothing of the people around them.

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Why? Why did life seem to continually screw her over? What had she ever done?

Kagome didn't even know where she was anymore. She and her friends had decided to take a vacation together for a little fun and relaxation. It had been their...second? Third night of vacation? She couldn't even remember anymore. They'd gone to a popular bar in the city they were staying in, but she'd decided to play the role of the sober friend that evening. One of her friends hadn't felt well and she'd decided to walk the sick woman back to their hotel.

From there, things had happened so fast that it was mostly a blur. A dark street. Several men. She tried to yell for help, but there wasn't anyone close enough to hear. And the two of them had been taken.

They'd been separated some time ago, and Kagome had no idea what had become of her friend. She could only imagine that the other woman was in a similar situation, but she hoped that it wasn't the case.

Then things had gone from bad to worse. The men who'd been keeping her and many others captive had come barging into the room they were being kept in and just started shooting. No one was able to run. They were all bound and tied. It had been an execution with no preamble or explanation. The men that didn't have guns used knives, and Kagome never knew that she would have had a preference until put in the horrific situation she found herself in.

Fatal as it was, as least a gun was quick. She tried to scream as the metal of the knife first bit into her skin, but the sound was cut of almost as soon as it started and replaced with a wet, choking sound.

When the man who'd sliced open her throat released her hair and allowed her to fall to the ground, Kagome could only stare up at the ceiling in shock. It was surreal, the feeling of warm blood steadily flowing out of her neck and into a sticky puddle around her head and shoulders. This was it. This was where she would die. After everything that _could_ have killed her when she was just fifteen, it was going to be a knife to the throat when she was twenty-seven in some random room in a country she wasn't even sure of anymore. It was so messed up it was almost funny.

There on the concrete floor, covered in her own blood and that of several other people, Kagome let hot, bitter tears sting at her eyes as she waited for darkness to take her.

Eyes closed, she listened to the chaos die down before things went completely quiet. There were a few moans and gasps in the quiet, probably from people similar to herself who were waiting for death. But soon there was nothing. Only a soft hissing sound that it took her a few minutes to recognize as her attempts to breath through the hole in her throat.

She was just beginning to get a little dizzy when she heard footsteps. And a voice. Who was that? Had someone come back? It didn't sound like any of them men she'd heard before. She wanted to open her eyes and look, but she was so tired. Did she even have the strength to open her eyes anymore?

It was only when a rough and warm hand touched her cool skin that she was able to finally make herself lift her heavy eyelids. Dark hair. Dark eyes. He looked a little tired, though not as tired as she felt. He was frowning at her. Why? Did she look as bad as she felt? Probably. But she didn't know him. Did that mean he wasn't with the people who'd taken her?

Kagome tried to clear her head a little. Was he there to save them? Well, he was probably too late for most everyone else, but did she still have a chance? How much blood had she lost? Breathing was hard, but she was still doing it. In and out. In and out. She got a little blood every few breaths, but she didn't really have the strength to cough it up anymore.

Another man came to stand over her. There were others? He was talking on a cellphone. What was he saying? She couldn't quite make out the words. Things were getting fuzzy around the edges now.

No.

Stop.

Not now.

Blinking a few times, Kagome tried to clear her vision. She didn't want the darkness anymore. She needed to stay awake. "Help. Please help," she tried to say. When she didn't hear herself say anything, she wasn't sure if it was her ears or her voice that wasn't working. Maybe both.

The fuzzy edges were closing in again, and this time there wasn't any fighting it. She felt large hands on her, probably trying to keep her awake, but she just didn't have the strength or energy to open her eyes again. The last thing she was aware of before losing consciousness completely was the feeling of rough, scratchy fabric being pressed against her throat.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own neither Inuyasha nor Gangsta. and make no money from these writings.

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Love Is Dangerous

Chapter Two

When Kagome first came to, her entire body felt heavy. Her mind was lost in a thick haze and her vision was blurred, but she knew she wasn't in that awful little back room anymore. Everything was brighter and white, and she was lying on starched cotton sheets.

She couldn't do much but lie in the bed she'd been placed on, but she knew that she wanted to smile. She hoped she was smiling. The sense of relief and safety she felt was something that she'd not long ago all but given up hope on feeling again.

Her vision was still fuzzy, but she recognized the shapes of people as they approached her bedside. The taller person was talking, maybe to her, but she couldn't quite register what they were saying through the fog in her head. It wasn't long after that, however, that she felt herself growing sleepy again and let herself give into the feeling now that she knew that she would likely wake up again.

There were similar episodes with drifting in and out of consciousness over an amount of time that Kagome had no way to measure, so it was a nice change to wake up and notice that things were much more clear.

She was still tired, but the sun was shining in through a nearby window and it was a nice sight. Looking around, she took in the white curtains around her bed and the tubes leading down to her hand and arm. Kagome was trying to sit up some when she heard voices coming from a nearby room.

"When am I going to be able to talk to her?" One voice asked.

"You can talk to her all you want once she's awake. When she'll be able to answer is another matter."

"And what's that mean?"

The second voice sighed before answering, "She's lucky not to be dead. Whoever sliced her up was either in too much of a hurry to make sure they did it right or had no idea what they were doing to begin with. They cut deep enough to open her windpipe and larynx, but they missed any of the major veins and arteries. It wasn't as bad as it looked and I was able to stitch her back up, but she won't be able to speak until she's completely healed."

"Damn it!" The first voice swore.

As the first voice continued to press the second for more information, Kagome heard light footsteps make their way towards her bed. When the privacy curtain was pulled aside, she was met with the wide blue eyes of a young girl who seemed equally surprised to see her. The girl glanced over her shoulder before stepping closer to the bed and closing the curtain behind her. She held a finger to her lips as she whispered, "Dr. Theo is trying to get Chad - that's Inspector Adkins - to come back later when you're awake. But you can't talk yet anyway, so you might as well get some more rest, right?"

The two of them waited in quiet until they heard the Inspector leave the clinic and then Nina pushed back the curtain and calling out, "Doctor! She's awake."

"Well, look at that," the doctor remarked as he made his way to her bedside. "It looks like you've managed to pull through without any major complications so far." The tall man's voice seemed a little uncaring, but the small smile he wore as he checked her pulse, breathing, and pupillary response made Kagome think it was likely either an act or just how he spoke.

"First things first," he spoke up again as he pulled over a small chair to sit down. "I'm Theo and this is my nurse, Nina. I'd ask your name, but it would contradict the first order I'm giving you as your doctor: No talking. Don't even try to talk. Your larynx, which houses your vocal cords, suffered some pretty severe trauma. It'll heal and you should be fine once it does, but trying to talk before then could cause further injury. Got it?"

Kagome nodded but winced at the pain in her neck. Reaching up a hand, she gently touched her throat and found it wrapped in gauze.

"That's another thing," Theo continued. "Avoid moving your neck and head too much for the time being. It'll hurt since you have a bunch of stitches holding your throat together right now. The last thing we need is for you to ruin my handiwork by ripping any of them. And yes, it's going to leave a scar, but at least you're still breathing."

When a voice called out from the front of the clinic, Theo sighed and before standing and excusing himself to see what he was needed for this time.

"He can be a little blunt," Nina shrugged with a small apologetic smile towards Kagome. "But he was always checking on you while you were unconscious. Like he said, I'm Nina." The girl smiled at her, and Kagome returned the gesture, wishing that she could introduce herself as well. "You'll need to stay here for a while longer," Nina explained as she sat on the edge of the bed. "You're breathing is okay, but you'll still need to be on a diet of clear liquids until your throat is healed enough for you to swallow solid foods."

Kagome bit her lip. How was she supposed to communicate anything? She couldn't talk. She couldn't even nod or shake her head without the risk of hurting herself. They didn't know her name or where she was from. She had no way of asking if they could contact her family. She couldn't even ask where she was. Everyone was speaking English, and that was as much as she knew. She knew English from school and the tourists that their shrine would get, but she wasn't very good at picking out accents. American maybe?

"Sorry," Nina apologized in the quiet of the room.

A little startled, Kagome looked up at the girl in confusion.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you," she clarified. "Lots of bad things happen in this city, but it seems like you had it pretty bad before Worick and Nico found you. You shouldn't worry though! They help the police sometimes, and I'm sure if they help with your case, they'll be able to find whoever did this."

Worick and Nico? Kagome tried to think back to the last things she could remember, but things weren't very clear anymore. She thought she might remember two faces. More like two face-shaped blurs, but they were there. Maybe.

"Either way, they come by here from time to time, so I'm sure you'll meet them before you leave." Nina laughed before adding, "Who knows, knowing them, one of them might end up in the bed next to you."

Kagome tried to smile at the small joke, but she frowned and reached up a hand to touch her throat again when it began to ache.

"Oh," Nina realized as she hopped back to her feet. "Wait just a minute." The girl wasn't gone long before she came back with a small syringe that she injected into Kagome's IV. "We'll give you something for the pain for a while. Healing from an injury like that isn't going to be fun. Just let us know if it gets too bad and you need some more, okay?"

Forcing a smile as she leaned back into her pillows, Kagome ran her fingers over the bandages around her neck one more time. Her eyes were getting heavy again and she let them slide shut as she wondered how in the world she was supposed to tell them she was in pain when she couldn't even tell them her name.


End file.
